As Cool As a Grass-Type
by MissHusky
Summary: Pikachu and Bulbasaur decide to play matchmaker at Oak's lab. Is Sceptile ready for new love? And what if the girl thinks he is "too evolved" for her? Also contains Snivy's backstory, Bulbasaur's reasons for staying unevolved, as well as Vineshipping.
1. The Big Idea

Hey everybody :D  
A Pokemon story wth only Pokemon characters, why not? Enjoy reading :)

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The excitement at Oak's lab was beyond words.

Ash finally returned from Unova. His Pokemon nearly crushed him trying to show their love. Then, he released his new Pokemon and went inside to greet the Professor.

Bulbasaur felt as if it was his duty to offer them all a warm welcome. Pikachu was beside him to help with names.

"The big red one with sunglasses is Krookodile."

"Perfect match for Squirtle." muttered Bulbasaur as shook his vine with the Intimidation Pokemon, before the latter went to sunbathe with Torkoal and Torterra.

"Who's the chubby one?" asked Bulbasaur, showing the smiling pig.

"That's Pignite." said Pikachu, with a chuckle. Bulbasaur's straightforward opinions were so funny. "I think you should introduce him to Infernape, since it was also abused by his trainer."

"Seriously, how does Ash find all of these formerly abused fire-type crybabies?" Bulbasaur rolled his eyes, while out loud he said to Pignite: "Welcome. You see that fire monkey over there. He is a fire-fightning starter just like you, you should meet him."

Just as Bulbasaur turned around, he was greeted by some sort of head ornament put on his head. Pikachu couldn't help but laugh, so the Seed Pokemon turned angrily and saw a pretty large bug-looking creature who introduced himself as "Leavanny".

"Guess I just can't have any luck with bug-types. I hate bug-types!" Bulbasaur was hiding his anger as he showed Leavanny where the best trees were. Well, at least this one didn't touch my bulb. Yet.

As soon as Leavanny left, Bulbasaur threw the leaves to the ground and stomped them until they were squished beyond recognition. Pikachu laughed the whole time.

"Well, if you think they are bad..."

"No, I don't. I just need some time to get used to these little, disrespectful..."

"Awwww, how cute, you're jealous. Anyway, let me finish. You haven't seen...hey, where did Oshawott go?" Pikachu looked around, puzzled.

"Osha-what?" asked Bulbasaur and then turned around in horror. "Pikachu, please don't tell me that Osha-whatever is that stupid thing jumping on Snorlax."

Bulbasaur ran as fast as he could, but Pikachu was faster. Snorlax was just waking up when Pikachu used Quick Attack to get the speed needed to get Oshawott out of the way. Then Bulbasaur used Sleep Powder and everything was normal again.

"You could've got killed, don't you know what a raging Snorlax is like?" Bulbasaur yelled but then realized that little thing has never even seen a Snorlax before. He just pointed his vine in the direction of the pool and Oshawott was smart enough just to follow without provoking anyone.

"This was exhausting." Bulbasaur was catching breath. "I don't remember that anyone from Sinnoh or Hoenn caused such trouble."

"Don't worry, it's not over yet." Pikachu patted his friend on his bulb. "There is still one Pokemon left, but she is a grass starter and very mature."

Bulbasaur wasn't really listening until he saw a little grass snake who was sitting on a rock and calmly observing the situation. She gracefully extended her vine.

"Hello, I am Snivy, a grass starter like you. Are you some sort of leader in here? One can see your authority very clearly. I think we could get along."

Bulbasaur was startled. She was definitely mature for her level. Oh, wait, what level was she anyway?

"You got that right. Bulbasaur the Ambassador here and in the name of Ash's Pokemon I hope your staying here will be pleasant." He bowed clumsily to stress that even more and Snivy seemed amused.

"Thank you very much. Do you know, perhaps, where I could find some water?"

After a quick tour Bulbasaur and Pikachu were alone again.

"Hey, Pikachu...this Snivy girl. Does she remind you of someone?"

"Well, I don't really..."and then it struck him, "Sceptile!"

"Shhhhhh, not that loud." Bulbasaur scolded his old friend. "Yes, I really think Sceptile deserves a nice girlfriend, he's a cool guy."

Bulbasaur admired him even since he beat a legendary Pokemon.

"I must talk to May's Venusaur, I swear you became too soft and romantic." teased Pikachu.

"No way. And there wasn't even..." Bulbasaur blushed and knew there was no use.

"Okay. You work with Snivy, I'll work with Sceptile. First, we must let them know that they want a relationship. Badly."

The yellow rodent nodded and did a short evil laugh with his old friend.

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Honestly, I believe that Ash's Sceptile and Snivy were made for each other and I think they would make a great couple :D  
thanks for reading this :)


	2. A Certain Backstory

And another chapter :D

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Pikachu found Snivy sunbathing on a small, a bit isolated rock. Perfect!

"How's it going, partner?" Pikachu was cheerful as ever, "Oak's lab is the best, isn't it?"

"Oh, Pikachu. Was it really necessary to wake me up?"Snivy was clearly irritated but she wasn't showing it. To think about it, Snivy rarely showed any emotion at all. This is going to be tough.

"Well, I wanted to talk about something. It's kinda personal..."

Before Pikachu could finish, Snivy stood up and crossed her little arms. "Look, rodent, if you want to talk about that weird excuse for a human being with a Lucario, don't forget that you also..."

"No, no, Snivy, calm down." Pikachu panicked a bit, to which she just produced a small "Hmpf" and sat down, crossing short legs.

"I told you, I don't blame you, no one blames you, you're a great battler, Snivy. I just happens that everyone loses every now and then." Pikachu hugged the little grass-type with his tail. She seemed reassured.

"You scared me, Pikachu. Please, forgive me about the "rodent". When you said it was personal, I thought you wanted to tell me that the other Pokemon all hate me or something. I may seem like I wouldn't care, but I would only look that way. I care deeply, for everyone." She gave him a faint smile.

"She's opening her heart. Great." Pikachu smiled. "Well, I was wondering about something, partner. Is your reason for hiding emotions something that hurt you?"

"Well" Snivy hesitated. Her calmness was almost all gone. "I suppose it's okay you know. After all, we are partners, we fight together for same goal, you have right to know."

"I don't want to force you or anything."

"No, no, no, it's fine. I should say at least to you. So, my first memory is an enormous greenhouse. It belonged to a young couple, both husband and wife were breeders, specialized for starter Pokemon. So, you see, ever since I was very small, I was trained to be someone's first partner. I couldn't wait to go on a journey with someone."

Pikachu nodded. He remembered feeling the same.

"One day, an old lady came. It was strange. She didn't look like someone who would go on a journey. She didn't look like someone who could walk for more than 10 minutes! She and my temporary masters locked themselves in an office. I couldn't help but eavesdrop. That lady wanted a pet. At first, they refused. We weren't raised for pets, they explained. We were meant for adventures, for becoming stronger battlers (or performers, maybe?), eventually evolving. But than the old lady showed money. Lots of it. She wanted a Snivy, nothing else. You know, Pikachu, it's funny how money changes people. Before I could blink, they agreed that the old lady can have any Snivy she liked. I felt so dizzy and dropped unconscious. When I woke up, I wasn't home anymore..."

Pikachu couldn't believe. Not just the story, but also the fact that he saw a tear running down grass snake's cheek. Snivy cried quietly as Pikachu wiped her tears and soothed her.

"The lady lived in a huge mansion. I had everything I needed, but not nearly everything I wished for. Well, of course, at first I enjoyed all the nice food, cool toys, doing whatever I wanted, but what I really wanted was to battle, to discover my strength. The ladies had Pokemon battles, but those weren't battles. They labeled me as "violent" after the very first battle I ever had, just because I tried my hardest. There, I couldn't develop all my potential. I was made for so much more, she was holding me back in a way. I knew I was strong. I wanted to show everyone just how strong I was, but instead of being proud, she always scolded me for being not ladylike and way too violent. It was not fair. There are Pokemon who would do anything just to be pampered by old ladies. But not me, I wanted so much more."

Pikachu was a bit shocked. "So, did you escape?"

"Wait, partner, I'm coming to that part now." the cool Snivy was slowly coming back. "It sure wasn't easy, I had a special guard in front of my room and all the windows were shut really tight during the night. So, I secretly began learning Attract."

"No way. You learned that attack all by yourself without even having one proper battle?" Pikachu's eyes were so wide they almost exploded.

"Oh yeah." Snivy enjoyed every minute of this. "I guess that was in my blood, it wasn't that difficult. When I was in the wild, at first I was afraid, but then I decided to stay calm, so I grew strong. Not in a matter of battles, here I mostly developed my personality. Then one day I came across a couple of young Sewaddle. They loved me so much and eventually, their mama Leavanny adopted me. She was great, she taught me how to use my grass-type moves, though I never got used to that ridiculous clothes she always made me wear."

Pikachu chuckled, remembering clothes that Ash's Leavanny made from time to time.

"But the important part was that I decided never to be caught by someone who isn't worthy. What I liked most about Ash was his determination." Snivy dramatically looked to the sky. "And that's about it. That's why I don't really trust humans. Except for Ash. He led me to some of my greatest victories. But the hearts of humans change too easily and they are mostly so selfish. I can't believe how lucky I was when I found you guys."

"Talking about hearts, have you ever been in love?"

Snivy did a great job hiding her reaction. "No, afraid not. I never really thought about it. I used to dream of a prince on a shiny Ponyta or whatever, but I'm afraid I'll have to find him myself."

"Need help?" Pikachu's grin was almost scary. Snivy's eyes widened.

"You know someone? Where'"

"Well..." Pikachu enjoyed holding her in suspense. "Have you even met anyone in the lab yet?"

"Are you telling me that you think someone in this lab would be a good match for me?"

"Don't be impatient, Snivy." This was just great.

"Please, Pikachu, very pretty please?" Snivy's cuteness would be unbearable to any human or Pokemon male and Pikachu was no exception.

"Alright, alright. So, he is another grass starter, so you could get along very well."

"What do you mean, could? We already are." Snivy was blushing. Pikachu gave her a puzzled look.

"You ARE talking about Bulbasaur, right? Oh, I can't believe I said that." Snivy giggled.

"Bulba...Wha...no, no, no, no, no, Bulbasaur's taken." Pikachu was so loud that some Pokemon turned around to see what was going on. Some even approached. And among those were Bulbasaur and Sceptile. Just great.

"The show's over, guys. Nothing to see here. Back to sleep." Snivy was already standing on a rock, telling everyone to go away in an authoritative voice. The Pokemon actually listened to her. She smiled and in that moment, her eyes met with Sceptile's.

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To be continued, of course :)  
Thank for reading this :)


	3. Don't be Afraid

While Pikachu was trying his luck with Snivy, Bulbasaur slowly made his way to the tree under which Sceptile was sitting.

"What's up, champ?" Bulbasaur's smile was unnaturally wide.

"I think I should ask you the same thing. What made you so hyper, have you been eating too many Chesto Berries again?" Sceptile raides his brow and slowly changed position.

"It's called being polite, you should try it sometime." Said Bulbasaur coldly. "I just though I could use the company of somebody mature after those Unova brats, but maybe you're not the best choice. Hmmmmm, I wonder what Torterra's doing now?"

"You're doing this on purpose, I'm not falling for this." Sceptile yawned and closed his eyes slowly. He saw Torterra as a kind of a rival because they were both fully evolved grass starters.

"Yeah, you're right, what was I thinking? It's perfectly obvious that The Great Sceptile simply doesn't have any time for poor old Bulbasaur. Maybe I should ask Bayleef to talk to you, I know she's still not Meganium, but she is pretty similar to one." Bulbasaur was overly stressing every single word, sounding almost evil.

"What?" Sceptile tried hard not to shout. "That, that, that was..."

Sceptile made all the Pokemon that were with him at the moment swear that they'll never tell anyone else the real reason why he evolved. He didn't want to admit that so many things happened just because he fell in love.

"Well, big softy" Bulbasaur smiled wide. "You can guess only once."

"There's nothing to guess. Corphish, right?" There was a strong desire to kill on Sceptile's face.

"Don't blame the poor guy. I have the right to know, you know that I'm...whoa, slow down, Sceptile." Bulbasaur had to trip the Forest Pokemon with Vine Whip to prevent him from doing something he'd regret.

"You little..."

"Now, calm down. It is my duty to prevent any fights here. I got a special permission to use any of my moves on any Pokemon here if I think he means harm to someone else and believe me, I'm not afraid to attack you. I don't care if you're fully evolved."

"There's something I got to admit to you, friend. I always admired your courage." Sceptile slowly rose to the sitting position and made himself comfortable.

"Thank you, friend." Replied Bulbasaur sincerely.

They sat together in silence for a few moments.

"Say, Bulbasaur." Sceptile began. "Why did you chose not to evolve? You don't have to reply if you don't want to."

"Well, I know one of your secrets, it's only fair I tell you." Bulbasaur took a deep breath. "I told you that I used to live at the hidden village, right?"

Sceptile nodded.

"I was surrounded by many injured and abandoned Pokemon. I was their guardian. All of them had very low self esteem and desperately wanted to be strong. That sounds good, but their self image was completely ruined, so they thought their only chance was to evolve. So many of them regretted it. Well, you're evolved so I don't have to explain how many changes does an evolution carry along."

Sceptile gave him a small smile.

"My original idea was to show them that you can become strong without evolving. Staying unevolved also has its advantages. I fought many of these Pokemon who practically forced themselves to evolve and always won. Because I had faith in my own strength. I became more and more confident, Ash certainly contributed to that and I made a decision. I'm going to become the strongest Pokemon ever and I'm going to do that unevolved." There was a fire in Bulbasaur's eyes as he was saying the last part.

"You sure can make someone regret being evolved." Sceptile winked. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Why did you want to talk in the first place?"

"About love, champ." Bulbasaur made that same wide grin.

"I swear you hang too much with Squirtle. Can I have the grown up Bulbasaur back, please?"

"Sceptile, I'm serious. I think you'd finally forget that Meganium if you found someone else. A nice grass type."

"Maybe that would help, but unfortunately nice grass types don't just grow on...oh, wait, I grew up on a tree."

"And the conclusion is that NICE grass types don't grow on trees." Bulbasaur teased. "Have you seen those guys from Unova?"

"Why bother with that? If they want to see me, they know where to go."

"There is a grass starter among them. And the best part is that she" Bulbasaur made a pause here "is a very nice girl."

"A female, you say?" Sceptile raised his brow.

"Oh yeah. I think you can see her, over there, talking to Pikachu." Bulbasaur pointed with his vine.

"That little one? But Bulbasaur, she's unevolved, I've never even seen one of her kind before, our egg groups don't seem to match..."

"And I think our Sceptile fell in love at first sight, isn't that sweet?" Bulbasaur practically turned into a huge smile.

"Listen, we've been friends for some time, right?"

"Right, even though it took you some time to admit that I can actually battle."

"That's behind us now, right? What I wanted to say is that I absolutely love the idea of being with that little one, but I'm scared of another heartbreak. There, I said it, now laugh as much as you want."

Bulbasaur didn't move a muscle, he just kept looking at his good friend.

"Look, I don't know what are you doing right now and to be honest, I don't care! If you don't have anything to say or do, just go away and leave me alone!"

"My dear Sceptile, have you completely forgotten about that day when May came to visit?"

"I'm sorry Bulba-friend. Yeah, I remember..."

"You and the others were simply amazing, without you, me and that beautiful Venusaur would never..." Bulbasaur was lost in a memory. "And now, it's my turn to help you in every way I can."

"You are the greatest friend I ever had."

"Keep your cool, friend, you're going to need it." Bulbasaur winked.

"Bulbasaur, is that Pikachu calling you?"

"I better check it out. Hey he seems to be with little Snivy. Come to say hi."

"But, Bulbasaur..."

Bulbasaur couldn't stand this. He slapped Sceptile with his vine. "Sceptile, are you joking? Show some courage, you big baby or she' is going to think that you're not worthy."

"But..."

"No buts or I'll kick your butt! There isn't anything you can't do and you know it very well."

"I needed that."

"Glad I could help. Now, time to move. Don't forget to smile, champ."

Sceptile stood up straigt and quickly ran behinh little seed Pokemon.

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I plan on writing a short story about Bulbasaur and May's Venusaur, that'll be that memory.  
Hope you enjoyed :)


	4. Go Get Him

Thanks for the reviews, everyone :)  
And now, a new chapter

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Pikachu was relieved when he realized that everything turned out alright. While he was still awkwardly standing next to Snivy, a pair of vines wrapped around his waist and pulled him away.

"What do you think you're doing?" Bulbasaur was glaring at him. "Why are you yelling like that, they better not know we're trying to set them up."

"Bulbasaur, we've got a problem, they, Snivy..."

"You'll talk later, let's give them some privacy now." Bulbasaur dragged the electric mouse away, while the latter tried to talk. Bulbasaur put one end of his vine over his mouth.

"What in the world is going on here?" Even though there were still Pokemon that needed to be sent away, she couldn't help but notice the little scene with Bulbasaur and Pikachu.

"Not sure, but just gave me the opportunity to say hi to another grass starter, right?"

Snivy flinched when she turned around and saw a Pokemon about three times her size extending his arm.

"I-I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to scare you." Great, this was just great.

"No you didn't scare me, it's just impolite to approach a lady like that. And without even introducing yourself first."

Great going, Sceptile. Just perfect.

"Shall w-w-we start from the be-ginning?" Sceptile swallowed and cleared his throat. "Hello and welcome. I'm Sceptile, the grass starter from Hoenn." He said that with a small smile.

Snivy's expression didn't change a bit. And what was worse for Sceptile, no one could guess what was on her mind.

"Well hello, Sceptile. I'm the grass starter from Unova, Snivy. Nice to meet you, can I call you Twiggy?" She giggled.

"If that's the best you can do, I'll handle it." Sceptile winked. "Now, watch this."

Snivy opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when Sceptile pulled the twig out of his mouth and put it on one of the seeds on his back. It was instantly full of green leaves. Snivy was amazed.

"Here you go." He handed her the twig with a smile. "If you want to hang out sometime, look for my tree. Bye." He waved with his huge tail as he was leaving.

Snivy wanted to say something like "Don't leave.", but stopped before even opening her mouth. There was no use now, she had to do some thinking first. Then she looked at the twig more carefully. Leaves were slightly heart-shaped.

* * *

A bit further, Bulbasaur and Pikachu were laughing together.

"You said it. Pikachu. From now on, let's stop interfering. This was disastrous enough."

"Thanks, Bulbasaur. I thought you'd be furious with me."

"Nah, we are way too good friends for that." Bulbasaur lightly smacked Pikachu on the back of the head with a vine. "Anyway, what I did was way more stupid."

"What an honor, Bulbasaur is admitting a mistake."

"Silence or I'll take it back, seriously. But what were you trying to tell me back then?"

"Well, our little Snivy seems to be in love with you."

"Really? Well, I don't think so." Bulbasaur said that as a fact, which surprised Pikachu.

"But, she said that to me, she even..." Pikachu was confused.

"Let me explain, electric friend. I think she idolizes me in a way. Just look. I'm the grass starter, unevolved like her, and the one that greeted her as a, let's say, spokesperson for Ash's Pokemon. I'm the peacekeeper in here, despite the fact here are other Pokemon that look "scarier" than me."

Pikachu was really close to slapping himself. This just made no sense. Bulbasaur smiled like a father would smile at his son.

"Furthermore, most of the girls dream of love. They'll even try to convince themselves the're in love with someone, while they just admire that Pokemon for something. Its not their fault, they just don't now what love really should feel like. I'm not sure, since I only heard stories, but I think that's what happened to Dawn's weird lagomorph with you. Do you get it?"

Pikachu dazed off during the last part, but he knew Bulbasaur was probably right.

"I think I do, thanks." Please, no more talking. "I'll go get something to eat, are you hungry?"

"Nah, I'll eat later. Bye, Pikachu."

"Bye, Bulby."

"That Pikachu...such a great friend, but definitely becoming too much like Ash." Bulbasaur muttered to himself as he slowly walked to one special rock. First he carefully examined the area and when he was sure he was alone, he lifted the rock and took his little treasure from underneath. It was an old food bowl which contained few heart-shaped pink petals. Bulbasaur lay on the ground for a few moments, smelling the petals with eyes half-closed...

Then he noticed someone hesitantly approaching. "Who's there?"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, I wanted to talk." Despite trying to keep calm, Snivy was shaking a bit.

""Sure, what's up?" Bulbasaur didn't even try to hide the petals, he knew very well that Snivy had already seen them.

"Those petals...I'm sorry if it's too personal..."

"First of all, Snivy, you don't have to be afraid of me in any way." Bulbasaur assured the little Grass Snake Pokemon. "And the second, these are from my girlfriend, it's her Petal Dance attack. I hope you'll meet her someday, she's the most beautiful Venusaur of all."

"Uh, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but isn't Venusaur..."

"My final evolution stage? It certainly is. But I loved her for a long time and evolving only made her more beautiful. She doesn't mind at all that I'm still a Bulbasaur. On the contrary, she supports me in my decision not to evolve. True, we are in a long distance relationship, but I think of her every day." The color of Bulbasaur's cheeks almost matched the red of his eyes, but he didn't care.

"Awwww, that's so sweet, it actually makes me want a boyfriend like you." Snivy blushed as she was slowly losing control over what she was saying.

"Let me tell you something, Snivy." Bulbasaur looked her straught into the eyes. "You are very pretty and someone will sure be very happy to call you his girl." Snivy's eyes sparkled a bit. Bulbasaur tried to ignore it as he continued talking. "But even if I were single, I probably wouldn't consider that option."

Snivy looked very closed to crying. "But you just told me I was pretty."

"I do really mean it. And there isn't anything wrong with you. It's just that I've always had this, let's say, instinct for protecting others. I always wanted my girlfriend to be someone I'd keep an eye on until I totally spoil her." Bulbasaur blushed again. "When I first saw that little Bulbasaur, I knew she was the right for me. And I also know you wouldn't be truly happy with someone treating you that way."

"Thank you, Bulbasaur, you're one of the best friends I ever had." Snivy suddenly hugged his bulb.

"Don't even mention it, I'm here to help any Pokemon that needs help. And now, I think it's about time you do something about the guy who gave you leaf hearts." Bulbasaur grinned.

"But what if he's not what I'm looking for?"

"Come on, Snivy, where's that courage I know you have? If he's not for you, I think you'd at least make good friends. He 's probably nervous now, awaiting your response to that little gift."

"But he could've just stayed there, I'd have told him."

"He was afraid and I think he still is. You see, he obviously cares for you and fears rejection."

"I mean that much to someone?"

"You definitely do." Bulbasaur gave her a huge smile.

"Sorry for acting this way, this is all so new."

"You'll get used to it, believe me. Now, go there and get him, girl."

"You're the best, Bulbasaur."

"Tell me something that I don't know."


	5. I'm Better Than You

Snivy slowly made her way toward Sceptile's tree. Really slowly. She raised her head, half-closed her eyes and gracefully waved her tail. She knew very well she looked her best. Her confidence was building inside her once again.

Sceptile looked like he was sleeping, but Snivy knew he waited for her to come. Her. She was important to this grass giant and that was giving her strength. Now, she just had to prove that she is worthy.

"Enjoying the sun, Sceptile?" Snivy was already very close when she greeted him. She sat opposite him in the grass.

Sceptile stretched with eyes still closed. "Glad you decided to come. Have you found your place yet?"

"Nah, nothing looks that special around here." Snivy tried to look like she was a bit bored, but inside, everything was slowly going crazy. She consecrated on plucking the blades of grass, thinking that would help her to calm a bit.

"Well, I'd gladly offer to share with such a nice lady." Sceptile opened his eyes and glanced at Snivy. She smiled, sincerely and happily, even though she at first hesitated to show these emotions. They were just too strong and couldn't be concealed easily.

"Gentleman is sure very polite to ask." Snivy played along, chuckling a bit. "But I do think it is only fair that you tell me at least a little bit about yourself."

"If the sweet young lady insists, it will be my greatest pleasure." Sceptile knelt and bowed a little. Then he reached his hand above his head to get a new twig from the tree. The act of placing that accessory was done most carefully. Snivy giggled.

"I just happen to be really fond of trees and carrying a part of tree gives me strength." Explained Sceptile, placing himself in sitting position again. "Snivy, I don't want to be rude, but would you mind leaving that poor grass alone?"

The sound of Sceptile saying her name made Snivy's heart skip a beat. She also realized she didn't stop plucking grass. Little Grass Snake Pokemon blushed and muttered something that sounded like an apology. Her head was down, so she didn't notice Sceptile's hands gently taking hers until the very last moment. Despite the size difference, it felt great and so natural that it was almost frightening. Snivy had no intension of letting go. Slowly, she lifted her gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice her red cheeks. He was smiling.

"There. Now when we prevented you from destroying my grass, what was that you wanted to ask me?"

"I'm almost certain that a Pokemon like you has many great battle stories to tell." Snivy put both her hands on Sceptile's right and slowly made her way to his side. Sceptile responded by carefully watching her every move and when she sat next to him, he did something that could be a gentle pat on Snivy's head. Grass snake smiled and started caressing one of the blades on Sceptile's arm.

"The first victory that made me really proud happened when I was still a Treecko, I defeated gym leader's Hariyama." Sceptile sounded like he didn't really care about Snivy's touch, but he cared. A lot. "And there is this one loss that really inspired me, when I lost to my evolved form, Grovyle (I was still a Treecko). He inspired me to learn some cool grass types moves and that was also the first time I considered evolving as an interesting option."

"Mmmmmm, sounds nice." Snivy looked him with half-closed eyes, still playing with his blade. "Do you know that I defeated my evolved form, Servine, once?" Of course, it's not important at all that he finds out about my loss to that same Servine in the next battle.

"Nice job, Snivy. You sure are a strong one. Hmmmm, I'll have to think of a better battle to impress you." Sceptile scratched his head, pretending to think. Snivy was almost certain she was the "winner" She slowly stretched, put her arms behind her head and even closed her eyes. So, he may seem tough, but he actually just got lucky in one or two battles. And his battle records were obviously so bad that he has to talk about his losses, otherwise he'd just have to remain silent. Sceptile noticed her, chuckled to himself, then suddenly started talking.

"Of course, what is a victory over two of the Frontier Brain's Pokemon in a single match? No, there just has to be something better in my battle history, let me think some more..." Sceptile returned to his thinking pose again.

Snivy's jaw dropped and she silently thanked Arceus Sceptile didn't comment that. She didn't know what a Frontier Brain exactly was, but she was certain they were some kind of stronger gym leaders. All of her battles sounded so insignificant now. And this even wasn't all. She felt scared. He'll now think she's weak for sure. There's no chance she'll impress him. Ever.

Sceptile looked to the sky in a theatrical way, not even looking at Grass Snake Pokemon. "But of course, how silly of me! How could I have forgotten about the Sinnoh League?"

Sinnoh League? As in the regional Pokemon League? That didn't sound tougher than Battle Frontier, maybe there was still hope. Snivy relaxed a bit and told herself everything was perfect and she still had the story about Riolu evolving because he just couldn't handle her. And then Pikachu messing everything up.

"I'll never, ever, ever, ever forget that match for as long as I live. Ash called me to battle in the semi-finals. I don't remember ever being that ready. I recently learned Leaf Storm all by my self and I just couldn't wait to show it to Ash."

Leaf Storm? Is he kidding me? I've known that attack for so long, I could do it in my sleep. Snivy smiled at the Forest Pokemon who saw right through her. He could sense her little premature celebration. That's why he lingered with the story. Or just because he really enjoyed her little hands on his arm.

"Of course, I wasn't really sure what to expect, it was my first time in Sinnoh. The Lily of the Valley Conference was impressive. Trainers looked so strong and my desire to battle in such a competition was stronger than ever. I was so ready to fight." Sceptile's eyes sparkled. Snivy's face showed a sincere smile this time. He was so handsome.

"And then the battle finally began. Ash was doing really bad. Heracross, Torkoal and Gible were all knocked out by the first Pokemon of that mysterious Tobias. But you know Ash, there's no way he'd ever give up. And I was with him all the way, ready to make history."

Snivy was a bit puzzled. Ash having three Pokemon defeated by only one opponent's. Strange, really strange. Sceptile noticed this and laughed inside his head. He didn't want to boast too much. Really, not. He just wanted to be admired by this girl he really grew to like.

"I entered the battlefield. The crowd was cheering. They wanted to see Tobias lose. I looked up and faced my strongest opponent yet. Was he fast! I admit, it's not often that I battle against a faster Pokemon. I was hit by Ice Beam, then put to sleep, then..." Sceptile talked more and more slowly. Snivy was desperately searching her memory for a Pokemon that could use such attacks and be speedy.

"Then I was hit by Dream Eater. I thought it was all over. But I wanted to win. Ash wanted to win. We both wanted to win. I managed to wake up." Snivy did think this was all amazing but she also couldn't help but notice that he deliberately didn't reveal the identity of his opponent and that slowly irritated her.

"Nobody expected that to happen. And I was fast. Faster than ever, I'd even dare to say. I hit that black thing with a Leaf Blade. The victory was all mine." Sceptile smiled and turned to Snivy. "And that, my dear, is a story of how I beat a legendary Pokemon, Darkrai."

Legendary...Darkrai...Snivy almost cried. He's better than her in every possible way. But wait, there is a chance.

"Sceptile" Snivy stood up and faced the Forest Pokemon with a confident look. And shaky legs. "I challenge you to a battle!"


	6. There's No Difference

There weren't many things that could break Sceptile's cool. But now, he just stared dumbly at Snivy, unsure what to do.

"You heard me, big guy. I want to battle with you." Snivy looked him straight into the eyes, fearless and confident. Sceptile didn't remember ever feeling so uncomfortable and confused. He had no idea how to respond.

"Just tell me why, then I'll consider." The Forest Pokemon sounded almost desperate.

"Just to show you I'm as strong as you are." Snivy's mask was slowly falling apart, her insecure side showing through.

So, that's what this is all about. Sceptile almost facepalmed. Of course, her stubbornness and pride won't accept mere word. She needed concrete evidence. On one hand, it was nice knowing she wanted to prove herself to him. On the other, he didn't want to battle her. But he had to respond somehow.

"Bring it on, Snivy. Let's have it your way." Sceptile sighed and took his place.

Snivy almost backed down. Challenging him was one thing, but actually battling a fully evolved Pokemon who defeated a legendary was whole lot different. She took a deep breath and launched a Leaf Storm.

Sharp leaves sped toward Sceptile. He drew his blades, braced himself and endured the attack.

"What are you playing? Fight!" Snivy was almost delirious.

"There's no need..." Sceptile didn't get the chance to finish. This time Snivy decided to use Leaf Blade. The bigger Pokemon was saved by his quick reflexes. He grabbed Snivy's tail, but not without taking some damage. Grass Snake Pokemon enjoyed seeing his little reaction to pain. Or was it just the fact he held her, even though she was hanging upside down.

Sceptile looked her in the eyes. Why were his eyes so pretty? Pretty? That's it!

Snivy chuckled to herself and prepared to use Attract. She was going to need all her charm for this one.

It worked! Sceptile stared at her completely infatuated. Wait a minute, she didn't even launch the attack.

"I don't know what are you playing, but stop this moment!" Snivy tried to break free from the Forest Pokemon's grasp.

Sceptile smiled softly. Then he gently put her in his arms so she was comfortable. She didn't resist.

"What I'm playing is called Snivy is so beautiful she doesn't need Attract to make me fall in love." Sceptile's voice was sincere, his eyes were warm and gentle. Snivy almost felt secure. But then her head spun. Did he just...?

"Do you really, really mean it?" In Snivy's head everything turned into a big blur. She was almost exhausted from all the emotions. Her desperate wish to prove herself worthy, all the trouble she made in the process and now this, Sceptile admitting being in love with her...so many on her mind.

"I do, Snivy. I saw right from the start you were a fine Pokemon, great battler and a pretty girl, all in one. You didn't have to try so hard to prove yourself, you were worthy to me from the moment I first saw you. I just hoped you wouldn't mind the differences between us."

Snivy had no idea what she was doing. She could hear her voice, but it sounded like another person talking. This was all so new. She just went with the flow.

"What differences, Sceptile?" Those beautiful eyes again. He was one seriously handsome Pokemon. "We're in love with each other and we want to spend a lot of time together."

Now it was time for Sceptile's head to explode. Sure, he's been in love before, but this time the girl loved him. She chose him.

The Forest Pokemon gently placed Snivy on one of the tree branches. "I know it's not much, but from now on this is your castle, my dear."

Snivy smiled. She had a truly beautiful smile, especially when she was happy. And she didn't remember ever being this happy.

"I love you, Sceptile." Snivy blushed as she was saying it.

"That's all I ever needed to hear to be happy, my dearest Snivy." Sceptile smiled softly as he was getting closer and closer...

* * *

A bit further, Bulbasaur watched everything from the distance, accompanied by Pikachu.

"Just please don't start that I-knew-all-along-this-would-happen story." Said the electric mouse tiredly.

"You really need to learn more about love, my friend."

"Maybe some other time. I'll go see what's taking Ash so long." Pikachu ran to the lab.

"Still a kid, just like Ash." muttered Bulbasaur. Then he went back to his secret rock to dream about his love some more. When will she come to visit again?

* * *

**And that's it. My first finished story :D**  
**Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, follows, reads, looking at this, and everything else. You are all the best! :D**


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